Father and Son
by Random Colors
Summary: When the Lady of the West runs off for good and the Lords locking himself in his room, who will help the Western people in there time of need? And the Northern Lady's about to give birth while in the West! I guess little Sessho will need to grow up fast! ON HIATUS
1. Little Prince to Young Lord

Father and Son

Chapter 1

-Little Prince to Young Lord-

She was gone, and she was never coming back.

He sat alone in his room and waited, and waited, but his father never came. A dejected sigh left his lips as he sat up in bed, and pulled back the blue satin sheets. He walked silently to the door, opening it and looking down the hall. Once he knew the coast was clear he stepped out and walked to the end of the long hall and into another, stopping when he came to the library doors. He took a deep breath and opened one door just enough to look through. He saw his father instantly, he had been sitting in the same spot for hours, ever since she told him of her choice.

He jumped slightly when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw his mothers old hand maid, Yumi. She smiled softly at him and brushed some lose hair back behind his ear, then walked into the library with his father. Standing back from the door a bit, he could see as she walked up to his father and spoke softly. He couldn't hear her, but what ever she said upset his father, he was growling at her as he stood up slowly. She took a step back but spoke in a louder voice.

"And how are you going to take care of him when you cant even take care of your self!? He is still just a child." Her voice was demanding and scolding, and he could tell it got through to his father when he tensed and stopped growling. He took a few hurried steps back when his father turned and walked briskly to the door and out, walking down the hall to his room. He watched his fathers back as he went, he didn't even see him, and if he did then he didn't seen to care that he was out of bed. His father was having a very hard time with this, everyone could tell, but everyone acted like it wasn't happening, it bothered him. His father was Lord of the Western Lands, the strongest Taiyoukai in all of Japan. He wasn't afraid of anything, he was quick to kill any threats to his lands or his family, he was a strict but demanding ruler, but he knew when to be a father and when to be a lord. He never knew his father had a weakness, but he saw it now. His father was a slave to his emotions.

He decided then that he would never let his emotions rule him as his father was in right now. A lord needed to be strong for his people in hard times, and now was one of those times. The loss the western people have suffered now, hits the western family the hardest, its strength cut in half, but the lord should still be strong. He knew his father would not be able to be the lord the people needed, so he would be strong in his fathers place. He would take care of the western people until his father was strong again. It would be hard and he would have to ignore his own emotional pain, but he would do it for his father, he would make his father proud of him.

He turned back to the library doors as Yumi came back out and looked at him. She smiled and held her hand out to him. He looked at it for a moment before reaching up and taking hold of it. She smiled at him again and walked him back through the halls to his room. They reached it quickly and she opened the door for him and walked in behind him.

He jumped into his bed for the second time that night and slipped under the sheets and watched as Yumi pulled the drapes over his window closed and walked over to tuck him in.

"What did you say to father to make him so angry?" His voice was soft and light but had the perfect boyish charm to it. He spoke quietly so his father wouldn't hear even at the other end of the hall. She let out a small and quiet laugh and pulled the sheets up to rest just below his shoulders and smoothed them down as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I merely told him that while he locked him self in there and brooded, that he was over looking the wonderful son who was still here and who needed need him right now, and I called him a insufferable child. And I take it you heard the other part."

"Oh, father would not have liked that very much..." He looked down at the blue clothe that covered him in thought. "Father can't rule the lands like this. The people need him but he can't give them the hope they need while he is upset about mother..so I will do it for him, like he has been teaching me. I will care for the lands until father is strong again." He looked up at her with a strong countenance, and a determined light in his eyes. "You will inform everyone that starting tomorrow, I am the Young Lord, not Little Prince."

Yumi looked a little surprised but soon smiled happily and stood. She made sure he was tucked in good, and leaned down, placing a soft kiss in his brow.

"I'm sure you will make you father proud as The Young Lord of the West, but for now, it is past your bed time." She walked out the door and turned back to him just before she closed it. "Goodnight, Sesshomaru-Sama."


	2. Strength

Father and Son

Chapter 2

-Strength-

It had been five days since she had left. And his father still kept himself in his room. During the first few days while he watched over the palace grounds he could see the sad and confused looks the people gave him, and at night after Yumi tucked him in, in his mothers place, the nightmares came. The dark hallways of his mind and one empty room after another, searching but never finding.. He couldn't take it after the third night. He walked in his mothers garden at night, hoping his mother would return to the palace the next morning, but still knew she wouldn't. He knew Yumi watched over him at night still but he never came inside until breakfast. And though his father could go weeks with out sleeping, his young body and mind couldn't go much over a week without it. He was feeling the strain of his duties as Young Lord and with lack of sleep, he knew he wouldn't last much longer.

As Sesshomaru made his way down to the dojo to speak with the General, he saw a messenger running to the dojo as well, and it was not one of his fathers, this man wore the colors of the Northern Lord.

With a frown on his face, he hurried down to the dojo, getting there just after the Northern messenger. He opened the door and watched the messenger hand a scroll to the General and await a reply. He walked up to the two men as the General read the scroll, his pace quick and light. The General sighed at the words in front of him but continued reading. Sesshomaru waited another moment before speaking.

"General, what do the Northern Lands ask of us?"

Said man looked up from the scroll and let out another small sigh before he held the scroll out for Sesshomaru to read, nodding his head to the young demon as he did.

"It appears that the Northern Lady is on her way back home from the Southern Lands, and would like to visit us on her way, seeing as how she stopped by the Eastern Palace when she left for the South."

Sesshomaru listened to the General with half an ear as he read the scroll, he stopped reading however when he came to something the General had left out of his summary. Sesshomaru stared at the words on the paper for a moment before he looked at the messenger, the paper, then the General. The man was smiling at him knowingly, no doubt he could smell the apprehension that Sesshomaru was now feeling.

He took a deep breath, rolled the scroll back up and handed it to the messenger.

"It says that the Northern Lady is..pregnant?"

"It dose, and if my memory serves me right, she is due soon." The General looked to the Northern Messenger for a confirmation.

"Any day now, Sir."

Sesshomaru felt his apprehension swell at that point and looked to the older inuyokai in front of him. The General was still smiling at him and took the scroll back from the messenger as he keeled down, eye level with Sesshomaru.

"It will be fine Sesshomaru. You have nothing to worry about. Now, take this scroll and give it to Yumi. She will make sure everything is in order for the Northern Lady's arrival." He placed the scroll into Sesshomaru's hand and stood back up, he was about to dismiss the Northern Messenger when Sesshomaru interrupted him with a lightly wavering voice.

"But.. what if the.. baby... comes while she's here...?"

He placed a strong hand on the young boys shoulder and grinned down at him.

"You forget pup, it was my mate that helped birth you, Yumi knows how to handle a pregnant demoness, Lady or not. Now stay calm and let my mate worry about the Northern Lady's needs when she gets here. You just need to be yourself and do what you can in your fathers place for now, and I will be here to help you. Don't get in over your head so early, you still have a lot to learn pup." The General playfully tugged on a lock of hair that hung down by Sesshomaru's ear. "And what did I tell you about your hair? It gets in the way while fighting, you should keep it up or at least tied back."

"But I'm not training, and I always tie it when we train."

"A Lord must be ready for anything Sesshomaru, even a Young Lord. Why do you think your father keeps his hair up? The enemy will not wait for you to tie it back before attacking. Now go pup, I will look over the grounds while you help Yumi get everything in order for the Northern Lady and her Escorts, they should arrive be sunset. And as acting Lord you need to be aware of the comforts you are providing your guest."

Sesshomaru gripped the scroll in his hand tighter as he nodded and left to find Yumi. He knew that as acting Lord he had the authority over everyone in the West at the moment but The General was his teacher and he knew far more about what needed to be done then Sesshomaru. Just because he had the power didn't mean he knew how to use it yet, so Sesshomaru would look to others for help when he needed it until he was taught everything he needed to know to be Lord of the Western Lands.

Hopefully his father would come back to his senses soon though.

Sesshomaru followed his nose and found Yumi in the kitchen helping one of the staff start tonight's dinner. Everyone nodded their heads at him and continued their work, his mother was never one to worry about bowing and had told everyone that a simple acknowledgment was all that was needed, as to not disrupt their work. His father had agreed to it as well, and the castle's environment soon became sightly less formal and more calm, it was how Sesshomaru grew up so far and he was used to it.

He quickly handed the scroll to Yumi and waited for her to read it. Once she did she informed the kitchen staff to make preparations for the Lady and her Escorts as well and tucked the scroll into the obi of her kimono and looked down at him.

"I appears we have some extra work to do tonight then." Yumi sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Am I to assume that you are to help me so you know whats going to be happening?"

Sesshomaru simple nodded and waited. Yumi smiled and started for the door, motioning for him to follow her, on her way out she asked one of the younger maids to get a few others and meet her in the guest wing with fresh bedding. Sesshomaru watch as the young girl bowed and ran off to do as she was told.

Once him and Yumi were out of the kitchen they headed for the guest wing so start preparing the rooms. A painting of his mother and father in one of the hallways reminded him about his hair and he reached for his wrist for a tie only to find it bare. He had left his ties in his room because he knew he wouldn't be training today. He always hated putting his hair up, His mother had told him she like it better down to make him stand out from his father more and Sesshomaru could never tie his hair up on his own so he just kept it down unless he was training, but without his mother here he didn't have anyone to help him put it up. He looked at Yumi's back and remembered seeing her help his mother with her hair a few times, he was sure she would help if he asked, but he felt bad asking someone else for something his mother had always loved helping him with.

"..Yumi..?"

The demoness stopped and looked at Sesshomaru when she heard his hesitant voice. He was looking down at the floor and seemed either scared or sad about what he was going to say.

"What is it?" She ask when he didn't continue. He looked up at her then and hesitated again before sighing and trying again.

"W-would you help me...with my hair? I can't do it on my own and....mother's..not here to do it for me..anymore."

Yumi smiled sadly at the young boy, walking up to him she leaned down and tucked a bit of hair behind his ear.

"I would be glad to help you with your hair Sesshomaru-sama." She stood straight and walked behind him, and combed her fingers through his waist length hair. "would you like me to do it the way your father has his?"

Sesshomaru quickly shook his head.

"No, Mother hates that. And I don't wish to look anymore like father then I already do. I saw you do mothers hair before the two of you went out one day, it was just tied back but you were twisting it somehow. Will you do that?" He turned his head slightly and look at her from the corner of his eye. Yumi smiled again and nodded as she began spiting his hair into three parts.

"It is called a braid. It may look hard, but once you learn how it is quite easy, but it is a bit harder to learn to braid you own hair then it is to braid another persons." She saw him frown and look down at the floor once again. "But if you like, I will show you how after our guest leave, that way you can do it yourself when you need it." Yumi finished the long braid and tied to off with and extra tie she kept on her wrist just in case, and stepped back in front of the young lord and reach up to fix his bangs.

"Thank you.." He spoke quietly. Yumi lifted his chin and leaned down and kissed his forehead lightly.

"It will be alright Sesshomaru-sama. Your mother is not gone forever, she simply lives elsewhere now, she still loves you and I'm sure she wouldn't mind others helping you with things she did before."

Sesshomaru looked at Yumi sadly. "But she just left me here... why didn't she take me with her.. I could have helped her with anything. Why would she leave me here with father if she hated him so much?"

Yumi crouched down and cupped Sesshomaru's face in her hands and looked at him softly.

"She left you here because she know that it was safest for you here, and she knew that the best thing for you would be to learn everything you could and to become a wonderful man and a powerful Lord. She didn't want you to lose your place as Prince simply because she could not live with your father after what he did. She will always love you, and it is because she loves you she left you here to grow strong."

Sesshomaru was quiet while he though everything over. Though he didn't know what his father had done yet, it made sense. And it wasn't like he would never see his mother ever again, He could find out where she went and go to see her. Sesshomaru looked back at Yumi and smiled lightly.

"Then I will become a strong Lord, for mother. If she left me here to become the best that I can then that is what I will do."

Yumi stood up and put her hands on her hips and smiled at him, He was making the best of the situation that he could, for his mother. She always knew he was very attached to his mother but they way he handled himself nowadays he was becoming more and more like his father. Yumi just hoped that Sesshomaru would learn from his fathers mistake one day and wouldn't run off to other women on stupid lustful whims.

She sighed and shook her head lightly, she knew he was going to be breaking hearts everywhere he went, the hard boyish charm he got from his father was rounded out by his mothers elegance, making the young demon a beauty, even among his own race. Women would flock to him where ever he went.

"Your mother will be very pleased to see you become strong. Now come Sesshomaru-sama, I'm sure the girls have already started setting up without us." Yumi turned and started walking to the guest wing once more, a small smile on her lips as she heard light footsteps following behind her.


End file.
